Three Years Strong

I can't believe the third years are, well, kids I've had for going on three years now. This Montessori three-year cycle is a beautiful thing. Thanks Maria, for your genius. This three-year system means I have 13 leaders in my classroom...kids who know the procedures and are there to help the younger students find their way. The are so comfortable with the curriculum and have a very strong sense of community. How smart it is to allow a teacher to keep her students for more than one year. I feel like I know them all so well--what their passions are, what makes them tick (or not), the things they struggle with... it is one of my favorite parts of being a Montessorian. Couldn't ask for a sweeter group. Here they are, hard at work on some cultural essays:

"'Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself if a tremendous thing.'"- E.B. White, Charlotte's Web 

Language Updates

Hi all. I just wanted to post a short update about some of the things we've been up to in the language curriculum.

The first years have been learning about nouns and they spent some time labeling nouns in our classroom.

(In the Montessori grammar curriculum, a noun is represented by a large, black pyramid. Hence, all the black triangles.) As you can see, even the hedgehog wasn't safe. The tape is my personal favorite. The second and third years were quite confused. "Why is everything in this room labeled?" as they try to maneuver a drink from the labeled fountain. :)

The second years have been working on compound words and proper nouns.

*Photos courtesy of Skyler's notebook

The third years have been working on prefix and suffix, subject and predicate, and possessive nouns.

*Photos courtesy of Gabby's notebook

*Photos courtesy of Kyle's notebook. Sentence #4 is a gem.

Hope you enjoyed!